House of the Good Shepherd

The House of the Good Shepherd (Slovak: Dom U dobrého pastiera) is a narrow, Rococo-style building in Bratislava, Slovakia, located in the Old Town below Bratislava Castle. It was built in 1760–1765 by notable Bratislava master-mason Matej (Matthäus) Hollrigl.[1] The townhouse was constructed for a local merchant and the lower part of the building was used for commercial purposes, the upper part for living. It is one of the few buildings in the area below Bratislava Castle to retain their original state, mostly due to the demolition of much of the Jewish quarter in the 20th century.[2]

House of the Good Shepherd
Dom U dobrého pastiera
Front view of the House of the Good Shepherd
General information
TypeTownhouse
Architectural styleRococo
LocationOld Town, Bratislava, Slovakia
AddressŽidovská Street No. 1, Bratislava
Current tenantsCity museum, pub
Construction started1760
Completed1765
Renovated1975
Design and construction
ArchitectMatthäus Hollrigl
House of the Good Shepherd

Today, the house is home to the Museum of Clocks, which exhibits antique clocks made from 17th to the beginning of the 20th century, specializing in 18th and 19th century timepieces from Bratislava clockmakers. The ground floor and basement serve as a pub. It gained its title because of the statue of Christ, the Good Shepherd, on its corner. The House of the Good Shepherd is considered to be one of the most beautiful Rococo-style buildings in Central Europe.[3]

History

The building was constructed in 1760–1765 with a trapezium contour and extremely narrow frontal face with a width of one room and staircase for a Bratislava (at that time Pressburg/Pozsony) merchant. After a reconstruction in 1975, Bratislava City Museum opened its exhibition of over 60 historical clocks here. The building serves this purpose to this day.

See also

Notes
  1. Jančušková, p. 318
  2. "BCM: Museum of Clocks - House of the Good Shepherd". Bratislava City Museum. Retrieved May 23, 2007.
  3. "House of the Good Shepherd, Bratislava". Slovakia - Cultural profiles. Retrieved 18 April 2012.

References

Jančušková, Mária (1971). "Tvorba stavebného majstra Mateja Höllrigla (Activities of the Master-mason Matej Höllrigl)". In Kalesný, František (ed.). Spisy mestského múzea v Bratislava / BRATISLAVA. VI. Osveta. pp. 309–328.

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